Advanced gateway device

Abstract

The present disclosure is directed to an advanced gateway device (“gateway”) for enabling communications between devices operating on or in communication with a communications network. The gateway includes a universal integrated circuit card (“UICC”), a router for interfacing with a number of devices, a network interface for communicating with the communications network, and one or more applications for managing associated devices and communications between the devices and the communications network. The gateway is registered with the communications network by transmitting information generated by the UICC to the communications network. Devices communicating with the gateway can access services provided by components of the communications network, and remote devices can access the devices communicating with the gateway based upon a trust relationship established between the gateway and the communications network.

I claim: 
     
       1. A method comprising:
 associating, at a gateway executing a device management application, a device with the gateway, the gateway comprising a universal integrated circuit card having a subscriber identity module that is executed by the gateway to authenticate the gateway with a cellular communications network; 
 executing the subscriber identity module by the gateway to register the gateway with the cellular communications network; 
 receiving, at the gateway, a request to conduct communications with an application accessed via an internet protocol multimedia subsystem of the cellular communications network, the request being received from the device and requesting communications via the gateway; 
 determining, by the gateway, that an entity associated with the request is authorized to conduct the communications; and 
 initiating, by the gateway, a session initiation protocol session between the gateway and the internet protocol multimedia subsystem to authenticate the gateway and to enable access, via the gateway, to the application. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein registering the gateway with the cellular communications network comprises transmitting data generated by the universal integrated circuit card to the cellular communications network, the data generated by the universal integrated circuit card comprising unique information identifying the gateway as a device that is authorized to register on the cellular communications network. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the gateway further comprises a router for communicating with the device. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 3 , wherein the router communicates with the device using a wireless protocol, and wherein the device communicates with the router using the wireless protocol. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the gateway further comprises a transceiver that communicates wirelessly with the cellular communications network using a cellular communications protocol. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 5 , wherein the gateway further comprises a network interface that communicates with a communications network via a wired link with the communications network. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 1 , wherein receiving the request to conduct the communications via the gateway comprises receiving a request from the device to access the application. 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 7 , wherein the application Comprises an internet protocol multimedia subsystem application accessed via the internet protocol multimedia subsystem. 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 8 , wherein the device executes the internet protocol multimedia subsystem application, and wherein the method further comprises allowing the device to execute the internet protocol multimedia subsystem application. 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 9 , wherein receiving the request to conduct the communications via the gateway comprises receiving a request from a remote device operating in communication with the cellular communications network, the request comprising a request to access the device associated with the gateway, wherein the remote device comprises a smartphone associated with the gateway, and wherein the remote device is registered to communicate via the cellular communications network and is authorized to access the internet protocol multimedia subsystem. 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 10 , wherein determining that the entity is authorized to conduct the communications comprises determining that subscriber information of the remote device is associated with subscriber information generated by the universal integrated circuit card of the gateway. 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising obtaining provisioned services, by the gateway, in response to a request for the services by the gateway, wherein the provisioned services comprise access to the application. 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising communicating, by the gateway, with a remote access server that stores permissions data that associates a remote device with the gateway, wherein the remote access server performs network address translation traversal for the remote device. 
     
     
       14. A computer-readable storage medium storing computer readable instructions that, when executed by a gateway, cause the gateway to perform operations comprising:
 associating a device with a gateway comprising a universal integrated circuit card having a subscriber identity module that is executed by the gateway to authenticate the gateway with a cellular communications network; 
 registering the gateway with the cellular communications network, wherein registering the gateway comprises transmitting data generated by the universal integrated circuit card to the cellular communications network, the data generated by the universal integrated circuit card comprising unique information identifying the gateway as a device that is authorized to communicate via the cellular communications network; 
 receiving, from the device, a request to conduct communications with an application accessed via an internet protocol multimedia subsystem of the cellular communications network, the request being received at the gateway and requesting communications via the gateway; 
 determining that an entity associated with the request is authorized to conduct the communications via the gateway; and 
 initiating a session initiation protocol session between the gateway and the internet protocol multimedia subsystem to authenticate the gateway and to enable access, via the gateway, to the application. 
 
     
     
       15. The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 14 , wherein the gateway further comprises a router that communicates with the device using a wireless protocol and a transceiver that communicates wirelessly with the cellular communications network using a cellular protocol, and wherein the device communicates with the router using the wireless protocol. 
     
     
       16. The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 14 , wherein the application comprises an internet protocol multimedia subsystem application accessed via the internet protocol multimedia subsystem. 
     
     
       17. The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 14 , wherein receiving the request to conduct the communications via the gateway comprises receiving a request from a remote device operating in communication with the cellular communications network, the request comprising a request to access the device associated with the gateway, wherein the remote device comprises a smartphone associated with the gateway, and wherein the remote device is registered to communicate via the cellular communications network and is authorized to access the internet protocol multimedia subsystem. 
     
     
       18. The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 17 , wherein determining that the entity is authorized to conduct the communications comprises determining that subscriber information of the remote device is associated with subscriber information generated by the universal integrated circuit card of the gateway. 
     
     
       19. A gateway comprising:
 a universal integrated circuit card; 
 a processor; 
 a cellular transceiver; and 
 a mass storage device that stores computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the gateway to perform operations comprising
 associating the device with the gateway, wherein the universal integrated circuit card of the gateway has a subscriber identity module executable for authenticating the gateway with a cellular communications network comprising an internet protocol multimedia subsystem that hosts an application, 
 registering the gateway with the cellular communications network, wherein registering the gateway comprises transmitting data generated by the universal integrated circuit card to the cellular communications network, the data generated by the universal integrated circuit card comprising unique information identifying the gateway as a device that is authorized to communicate via the cellular communications network and to access the application, 
 receiving, from the device, a request to conduct communications with the application, the request requesting communications via the gateway, 
 determining that an entity associated with the request is authorized to conduct the communications via the gateway, wherein determining that the entity is authorized to conduct the communications comprises determining that subscriber information associated with the entity corresponds to subscriber information associated with subscriber information generated by the universal integrated circuit card of the gateway, and 
 in response to determining that the entity is authorized to conduct the communications,
 initiating a session initiation protocol session between the gateway and the internet protocol multimedia subsystem to authenticate the gateway and to enable access, via the gateway, to the application, and 
 allowing the entity to conduct the communications. 
 
 
 
     
     
       20. The gateway of  claim 19 , further comprising:
 a router that communicates with the device using a wireless protocol, and wherein the device communicates with the router using the wireless protocol, wherein the cellular transceiver communicates wirelessly with the communications network using a cellular protocol.